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I just purchased a 2004 Road King Classic with 13,000 miles. This is the third Road king I have owned and this one has an issue. I am getting a lot of vibration at low speeds up to 45 or 50. The front tire I believe is original to the bike and have ordered a new tire for that but I don't believe that is the cause of my vibration. Sitting at idle the normal rubber ,mounted vibration smooths out as I increase RPM as it should. The bike had screaming eagle pipes on it when I bought it but I installed stock pipes after I got it home but that shouldn't change anything. Any suggestions out there or is this typical of this year.and model.
Not typical of the year or model as I have that same exact model and color combo - I'd suggest having the wheels balanced or checked for true - look for loose spokes etc...
Can you describe the vibration at all? Does it feel like the engine or whole bike is shaking? Is more of a tire hop or a higher frequency buzzing? Does it change only with road speed or does it change with rpm or engine load?
Lazy Sundays Senior rider as well. The whole bike seems to be vibrating at lower speeds. At 45 in 5th gear it seems to be at its worst. If I down shift to 4th it smooths out somewhat and goes away for the most part at 65 to 70. It could be wheel hop but that usually shows up more when braking and I haven't noticed that. The air pressure was low in the rear tire when I got it so I don't know how long it had been that way so it could have damaged the tire. I'm feeling vibration in the seat and bars but not the foot boards.
I had a 04 FLHT, and the sweet spot was 2500-3000 RPM, smooth as silk. Under 2000 RPM, the front end vibration was very noticeable. It was like that the day I took delivery in 04, new from the dealer. If you're doing 45 MPH in 5th gear, you're out of the sweet spot. YMMV.
I had a 04 FLHT, and the sweet spot was 2500-3000 RPM, smooth as silk. Under 2000 RPM, the front end vibration was very noticeable. It was like that the day I took delivery in 04, new from the dealer. If you're doing 45 MPH in 5th gear, you're out of the sweet spot. YMMV.
I agree. I bought a new '03 Dyna and I don't recall it riding nicely at such low rpms. May simply be that you need to use higher revs to keep it sweet and smooth. Which models have you owned previously?
Lazy Sundays Senior rider as well. The whole bike seems to be vibrating at lower speeds. At 45 in 5th gear it seems to be at its worst. If I down shift to 4th it smooths out somewhat and goes away for the most part at 65 to 70. It could be wheel hop but that usually shows up more when braking and I haven't noticed that. The air pressure was low in the rear tire when I got it so I don't know how long it had been that way so it could have damaged the tire. I'm feeling vibration in the seat and bars but not the foot boards.
You need to let her breathe a bit more. 80kph(50mph) is the bare minimum cruising speed on my 03 and it won't pull hills or accelerate easily at that speed. 50mph is barely 2000rpm.
I'd still check everything over, especially the front engine mount and the tires but if it's smoother when you let the revs come up it might just be that you need to let the engine rev a bit.
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2004 flhrci
